Djimon Hounsou
Djimon Gaston Hounsou (/ˈdʒaɪmən ˈuːnsuː/, JY-mən OON-soo;[1] French: [dʒimɔ̃ unsu]; born April 24, 1964)[2] is a Beninese-born actor. He began his career appearing in music videos and made his film debut in Without You I'm Nothing (1990). He then earned widespread recognition for his role as Cinqué in the Steven Spielberg film Amistad (1997), which earned him a Golden Globe nomination. For his performances in In America (2002) and Blood Diamond (2006), Honsou was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Djimon Hounsou
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he portrays Korath the Pursuer in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Captain Marvel (2019) and What If...? (2021). In the DC Extended Universe, he appears as the Fisherman King in Aquaman (2018), and as the wizard Shazam in Shazam! (2019), Black Adam (2022), and Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023). His other notable films include Stargate (1994), Gladiator (2000), Constantine, The Island (both 2005), Special Forces (2011), How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014), Furious 7 (2015), The Legend of Tarzan (2016), A Quiet Place Part II (2021), Gran Turismo, Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child Of Fire (both 2023), and Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver (2024).
Hounsou made his directorial debut with the documentary film In Search of Voodoo: Roots to Heaven (2018).
Early life[edit]
Hounsou was born in Cotonou, Benin, to Albertine and Pierre Hounsou.[3] He immigrated to Lyon in France at the age of 12[4] with his brother Edmond. Soon after arriving there, he dropped out of school and was homeless for a time. A chance meeting with a photographer led to an introduction to fashion designer Thierry Mugler, who encouraged Hounsou to pursue a modelling career.[2] In 1987, he became a model and established a career in Paris. He moved to the United States in 1990.[5]
Personal life[edit]
In 2007, Hounsou began dating model Kimora Lee Simmons.[32] In 2009, Simmons gave birth to their son.[33] Hounsou and Simmons visited Hounsou's family in his native Benin in the summer of 2008, where the two participated in a traditional commitment ceremony. They were adorned in traditional clothing and used the ceremony, in the presence of Hounsou's family, to confirm that they were "dedicated to each other 100%", although they emphasized the ceremony was not a wedding. In the début of Kimora Lee Simmons' show Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane, he was billed as her husband.[34] Hounsou and Simmons, who were never legally married in the United States, announced their separation in November 2012.[35]